A Burnie family is starting from scratch after a kitchen exhaust fan sparked a fire that destroyed their home and killed their cat on Monday.
Belinda Walters, her husband Scott and their 18-year-old daughter Chloe lost almost everything they owned when the blaze tore through their rental property while the parents were at work and Chloe was at school.
A neighbour messaged Chloe to alert the family and they arrived home to find the road blocked off.
“Pretty surreal really,” Walters said.
“No one ever thinks it’s gonna happen to them and it did.”
The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen exhaust fan before spreading to a nearby cupboard.
Smoke damage reached every room in the house, leaving belongings coated in black soot even in the furthest corners.
“Whatever you touched was just black,” Walters said.
Nothing was salvageable beyond a few sentimental items.
The family’s cat Vivienne, adopted only earlier this year, did not survive.
Walters said firefighters tried desperately to revive the animal, performing CPR with a breathing mask and chest compressions.
“They were just, all of them, were brilliant,” she said.
“The firies were brilliant, the police were brilliant, everyone was brilliant.”
Walters said Chloe was devastated by the loss of Vivienne, having wanted a cat for years.
The family had contents insurance and is staying in temporary accommodation provided through their insurer.
However, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help cover the cost of replacing belongings, as the family was left with only the clothes on their backs.
Walters said once the family is back on its feet, they plan to donate to the RSPCA, the cat shelter where Vivienne stayed and emergency services.
“People don’t give them enough respect,” she said.
For now, the focus is on moving forward.
“Rebuild and in the end we’re safe,” Walters said.
“It’s just stuff.”
To help the family, go here
